Yellow Jacket Times - Jefferson County Public Schools

I have a passion for cooking. I love making my own concoctions. Making
DeVictor McElroy
something out of nothing is unbelievably amazing, especially when it tastes so
good. Most expert chefs own their own recipes and that’s what I want to pursue as a career.
Cooking to me is not just about boiling water or scrambling eggs, no; cooking to me is an expression of my
personality on a plate. Growing up, I went through many possible job choices like lawyer, doctor, teacher
etc… I soon realized that those jobs are average, and before I get attacked by those who have these jobs
because of my previous statement, there is nothing wrong with these jobs or being average; it’s just not
for me. I like being bold and outrageous, and with those jobs, there is a certain way that you have to act;
being a chef allows me to be my own boss.
One of the main things I think has been a driving point for me in my pursuit of a career as a restaurant
owner is that I can essentially be my own boss. I do realize that I have to answer to health code
inspectors, customers etc…. but who cares; it’s my job. This need to have my own restaurant and be in
charge comes from a authority issue that I’ve had for a while. I hate to answer to others when I feel like
I’m correct. Being a business owner would make others take orders from me.
One thing that has never been a factor when it came to my career was money. They say money is the root
of all evil; well, I must be a saint because I honestly don’t really care about it much. I might be
exaggerating just a little when I say I don’t care about money, but when it comes to my career, I’ve never
wanted to make a profit out of my life.
I didn’t always want to be a chef/business owner; believe it or not, I wanted to be a singer. Major shift in
careers, yes I know, but it’s because I have a passion for both. Singing and cooking are a way of expressing
me. The reason I settled on being a chef is because who honestly doesn’t like food. Maybe a bulimic, but
that’s a mental disorder, so they don’t count.
I think the one possible thing that might have scared me to pursue my thoughts of being a chef, was the
prospect of more schooling. I can admit that I honestly can’t stand school sometimes, and just thinking
about going back for more training sounded so horrible. After much thought, I realized that culinary
school wouldn’t be so bad because it is expanding on something I love to do, nothing like math or science.
One of the main joys that I receive from cooking is the happiness I see from people eating my food.
Cooking is not a hard thing to do, but it does take considerable time and effort to pull something amazing
off. I love how they appreciate the time I put into something for them. It makes me feel as though I’m
actually doing something pretty special in life.
Something that has always interested me about food is the different cuisine that other cultures offer.
Earlier this year in my Global Issues class, we studied different aspects of China, Japan, Israel etc…
including the food. In my personal opinion, I feel that food is not only the universal language of the world,
but also of love. Who doesn’t love a home cooked meal? Going to different countries, trying new things,
learning another language, tasting different food, seeing new sights; all of these things are beautiful just
like a nice 5 star meal.
I can remember growing up looking at TV; I wouldn’t watch cartoons, but the food network. Some might
think that makes me a fat child, but I think it makes me observant. I always found it interesting how a chef
could change something as simple as an egg, into something of pure delight.
The food network opened my eyes to the magic of cooking.
Food is one of the fundamental things we have to have in order to survive, and
it amazes me how many people don’t see it as such. Wasting good food while
others starve, it’s just not fair. I want to cook so that I can let other people
experience what I do when I taste and cook food. Cooking and being a chef are
my fundamental things I need to survive now.